Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award

In 1992, The Palm Beach County Sports Commission established the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker award. This award, presented for a number of years by the Orange Bowl Committee, is given annually to the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker as determined by a voting panel of Division 1 head coaches, sports writers and sportscasters from across the county, conference representatives, professional kickers and previous winners.

The Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award has become the most prestigious college football award for kickers.

How the award is determined

Prior to the start of each college football season, the Lou Groza Award Watch List consisting of 30 players is released. This Watch List is determined based on statistics from the previous season and preseason expectations. Information is received from national media, school sports information directors and other ranking sources. However, all Division I-A kickers are eligible for the coveted award. During the season the Groza Awards committee monitors the success of all kickers on a national level. Weekly, beginning in early September the award recognizes the three outstanding kickers of the week based on the previous week’s play.

Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award committee announces its 20 semi-finalists in early-November. From this list, a panel of over 300 experts selects the top three finalists for the award in late November. That same group then selects the national winner.

The three finalists are invited to Palm Beach County, Florida after the end of the college season for the Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet, presented by the Orange Bowl Committee. This gala three-day program recognizes the accomplishments of the kickers in a variety of community outreach activities culminating with an awards banquet that is the start of the South Florida holiday football season.

The announcement of the winner is made during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show broadcast live from Orlando, Florida in early December.

Groza Committee

The Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award is a program of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The program is directed by the Groza Committee consisting of William Davis, Chairman; John DeMott, Vice Chairman and members Hamid Faquir, Jason Myers, Jim Watt, Sam Budnyk, Ken LaVicka, Paul Mangia, Richard Ellington, Tom D’Angelo, Donald Dufresne, Dr. Edward Eissey, Will Rhody, and Eric Poms.